The Good, The Bad And The Dragons
by seinka
Summary: The obelisks are dead, everyone is mortal. Atreia has become wild. Among all this travels a lonely gunslinger who just triest to survive. And sometimes to prove herself she's better than her past. Set of short stories from wild, wild Atreia.


**~ High Noon ~**

It all began when the obelisks and kisks stopped working. With no obvious cause or warning the daevas who died, have never been resurrected and were gone forever. It took them few months before they realised it, though. At first everyone thought it was some local aether disturbance or solitary malfunction, which indeed happened from time to time, but then the Seraphim lords announced this shocking news. We were no longer immortal. During the years that followed the balance of power in Elysea shifted several times. The humans suddenly saw an opportunity to improve their social status over daevas and many people were killed before the Seraphim lords managed to calm the crowds down. Governor Fasimedes was one of the victims of those unrests. Since then a human was always elected as a ruler of Sanctum, a person who takes orders from no one but Seraphim lords.

At that time everything changed. As the daevas could die the same way as humans did, everyone became more careful. During the beginnings some people decided to _settle deals_, which in reality meant to kill someone who offended them or did them any harm many years ago. Vengeance on daevas now got a meaning. We were still ageless, our bodies didn't change since the day of Ascension, and we could fly and manipulate the aether easily, but one death was final. Everything we knew crumbled. The old world ended and was born anew.

But nothing of that mattered for me. I was reborn as well, all my memories died with the obelisks. One day I woke up in a bed and was surrounded by strangers. Those people told me they found me unconscious on the road and asked me a lot of questions, but I had no answers for them. I didn't know my name, who I was, where did I come from and why was I so wounded and exhausted. No one knew. But the villagers took me in and let me stay there even after I got better. I had to work to get food and kinah, of course, but that was implied. They even gave me my weapons back, two guns loaded with bullets and traces of aether. They could sell them for good money, but they returned them to me. I was very greatful, though I didn't even remember how to handle those pistols correctly. I started a good life in that village. But nothing good lasts for long. Not for me.

On that day I was sent as messenger to Golden Bough garrison to deliver our mayor's letter and buy some supplies there. I borrowed one of the three village's pagattis, with permission of its owner, of course, as its speed would allow me to go there and back before noon. No one wants to spend middle of the day inside of desert with no shelter. But even with pagatti I had to get up before dawn and lead the animal to Spring of Anathe and bit more north to the edge of Eastern Eracus desert before changing my direction to the garrison. It wasn't the shortest way, but it was the only one I was certain I won't get lost on. In this morning hour the desert was quiet. The night predators went to sleep and the day creatures didn't wake up yet. Even though this silence was expected, an ominous feeling gnawed my guts. I stopped the pagatti and looked around. Nothing has changed and that feeling disappeared, but I was already in panic. What happened? Bandits? No, it was too quiet for bandits. And besides they didn't ambush me more than once, the moment I took out my pistol and shot into the air, they all ran away. Amateurs, they could have got me, I was alone. After few minutes during which nothing unexpected moved, I calmed down and impelled my mount again. No matter the omens, I still had to bring the supplies to the village.

When I arrived, the garrison was waking up, the guards changed their shifts, the shop tents started to open and people were beginning their day. I tied the pagatti at the corral, gave it grain and water and went to find Castor, the commander of this settlement to deliver the letter. Mayor said it was just a regular exchange of information, but I wanted to make sure to get rid of it as soon as possible. Fortunately the leader wasn't busy and could take the letter without letting me wait and I could go shopping. That part I actually enjoyed. The shopkeepers already knew me and we used to chat for a while, everyone here _and_ in the village loved gossips, so I made sure they were informed every time. When I was putting the supplies into my saddle bags, something on the shelf caught my attention.

"What's that?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Oh? I'm surprised that a gunslinger like you doesn't know," the old shopkeeper raised his eybrows. He called me a _gunslinger_, but it didn't mean anything these days. Everyone who could steal a pistol and hit a tent while shooting from the inside was called like that. Only few knew I was a daeva. Or they thought they knew, I wasn't so sure. Even if I tried I never summoned wings.

"Well..." I looked at the guns on my belt. "I'm not much experienced," I said apologetically.

"It's called a _grenade_ and it should explode when you throw it," the man explained. "So you should be careful while manipulating them."

"Grenade?" I looked at those small objects closer. That word sounded familiar, I just couldn't remember any details. _Was I using them before?_ "How many do you have?"

"Only what you can see here," he pointed at the shelf. There were three pieces.

"How much for them?"

He told me the price and it was decided. I had some money, I never needed any jewels or make up or any other useless trinkets, so I could afford those grenades without getting ruined. And I must admit they fascinated me. I gave the shopkeeper the money and took one of the grenades to examine it more closely. There had to be something... they couldn't be just explosives triggered by impact, it would be impossible to carry them around. After few seconds I found a small green crystal held in one place by piece of wire with a circle on its end. It was perfect, just pull it with one finger and throw it away... _wait... how do I know this?_ I shook my head, put all three grenades on my belt which even had some fasteners for them, gathered the supplies, said thanks and goodbye to the shopkeeper and went out to the sun. My head was spinning. Those grenades... I must have seen them before. I washed my face in the fountain to calm down. Okay, in the past I was apparently a gunslinger. I already found out I _could_ use those pistols, so I could guess that, but being sure of it felt different. To handle those grenades so intuitively, I had to be good. Only if I remembered.

I took the saddle bags and went to the pagatti corral, where my animal friend was impatiently waiting. I patted its neck, fastened the bags to the saddle and mounted. There was still all the way back before me, so I had to hurry, if I wanted to avoid the biggest heat. We rode back. Again, that ominous feeling appeared and again there was nothing suspicious around. I begun to worry. What could be happening? And where?

I didn't have to wait for the answer for long.

As soon as I emerged from the little grove around the Anathe spring, I saw smoke arising from my village. And it wasn't any campfire or hearth smoke, it looked more like the fire has consumed everything in there. I urged the pagatti to its maximum speed, but I already knew I was late. The first bodies were about half kilometer from the village, a whole family killed when they tried to run. I didn't stop to help them, they were dead already. While passing them I quickly looked at their injuries. They were killed with fire. So it was a sorcerer who caused this destruction. Or maybe a master of spirits. Or...

A sound of gunfire came from the village.

Except my pistols, there were no guns there.

At least they weren't supposed to be.

It was a gunslinger. And very experienced one.

I jumped off the pagatti without even stopping it and before my feet hit the ground, I already had a pistol in my hand. I ran as fast as I could, ready to shoot at anything that moves. But all the bodies were still. I heard shouts from the other side of the village, but even those got quiet. I suppressed my tears and anger and forced myself to think. Though upset like this, I realised I could feel the killer's aether. I knew exactly where he was.

Another gunfire echoed just when I turned around the corner to finally see him. A man dressed in long black coat and a hat of the same colour with a wide brim. He had two jet black pistols in his clawed hands, one glowed with blue, the other with red. The blue one still aimed at a body falling to the ground.

"Lynor..." I breathed out. _Why..._

Then he turned and noticed me. Without hesitation I shot in his direction and hid behind the corner.

"So that's you, finally," the man called. "You surely took your time."

My heart skipped a beat. _He knows me_... I studied his aether. He didn't move and it didn't even look he was preparing an attack. So I reloaded my gun and stepped out of my shelter.

"Why... did you have to kill them?" I asked and tried to keep my voice calm.

"They didn't want to tell me where did you go," he shrugged. "I finally traced you here..."

"Just for that?!" my eyes widened in shock and I started screaming.

"Don't tell me you cared about them, I'm not buying that," he frowned. "And I'm here for you, so..." he let the rest of the sentence vanish.

The minute hand of the clock on the mayor's house ticked.

"Who the fuck you think you are?!" I yelled at him. That arrogance of his stirred me up.

"Just call me... Captain," he replied with a pride filling his voice.

My vision blurred with anger for several seconds.

"I hope you won't mind, mister _nameless captain_, that the person who kills you also has no name," I strained the words through my gritted teeth, my senses were stretched to their limits and my blood was boiling.

"No name?" his self assurance suddenly wavered and he looked very surprised.

The hand on the clock ticked again.

The bell rang and announced noon.

At that moment I aimed at him and shot several times before hiding behind the corner again. I ran around another corner and stopped there to sense his aether again, as the gunfire disturbed it. He moved after me. Good. I didn't plan to fight fair and square, that slaughter of villagers wasn't fair either. I took one of the grenades from my belt and pulled out the safety pin. The moment he passed the first corner, I threw the little bomb and instinctively fell to the ground to avoid the blast wave. When the explosion died out, I jumped on my feet again and went to check him. But he wasn't there. It took me only a fraction of a second to locate him, but even that gave him an advantage of a surprise attack. I tossed myself aside and pressed my back to the wall as the burst came from the roof. He wasn't stupid. But right now I was blinded with anger which I couldn't hold inside anymore.

I didn't want to let the beast out.

I dashed forward without any cover, after few steps I turned around and shot few times and slided behind a water tank. I reloaded, looked out and shot again. From the moan that got to me I guessed I have hit. But not enough apparently.

I unleashed the beast, I wanted him dead. I took my second pistol with my left hand and got up. If he could use two guns at the same time, I could also do that. He shot, but the aether started whirling around me and it deflected the bullets. The beast got the aether under control and forced it compressed into the guns. Then I started running and shooting at him. He tried to hide, but he couldn't find a place that would provide enough cover from my half aetheric, half physical bullets. Everything they hit was on fire, as if it wasn't enough that the village was half burned already. He tried to shoot me several times, but only once I felt a jab on my cheek. Then he stopped running and gazed into my eyes.

"So it's you, after all, I started to worry," he smirked. "I never thought you'd be in top condition after all these years you were hiding."

I wanted to know what he knew about me, but no way I would _ask_ him. No way I would even lost words for him. I aimed and sent a shot through his heart.

"You..." apparently he didn't expect that. I've read the stories about duellists who fight after they're done talking too, but I never considered it as a manual how to kill someone. "Bloody hell..." he coughed blood and fell to the ground.

I dropped my guns and looked at the piece of destruction that the fight left in the place that once was a peaceful village. The beast calmed down and only emptiness remained. I caught a faint glimpse of aether. Someone was still alive... I ran there as fast as I could. Lynor, his last victim, was lying motionlessly on the ground and... still breathing.

"Lynor!" I called at her and in an instant I was kneeling by her side, trying to stop the bleeding. "I thought you died to..."

"I'm healer, Sunshine," she whispered. Sunshine. Since I had no name, they called me like this. And I liked it. But after today I wasn't so sure, if that's a name for me.

"Sh, don't talk, Lynor. Save your strength."

"No, Sunshine, listen," she grabbed my arm convulsively. "We would never give you over. You're one of us. Please remember you're Sunshine. Always, forever."

Her body feebled, as if the message was the last thing keeping her alive. Waterfalls of tears ran from my eyes.

"Why... Why did you... for me..." I sobbed while hugging the body of my friend.

It took me two days to bury all the dead. All except one. I took the killer's guns, coat, hat and boots, all of it was in a very good shape and therefore sellable, and let his body burn. He didn't deserve a grave. I didn't bother to fix the damage our fight did, but I didn't burn the few houses that escaped the destruction either. Someone might want to live here in the future, if they won't be scared of the huge graveyard nearby.

The pagatti returned few hours after the duel ended and stayed with me all the time. I decided to take it with me, I didn't want to stay here. Not when it was me who caused this place's demise. Just when I was leaving and glanced back for the last time, one single memory popped in my mind. Lynor was wrong. I was no Sunshine. I was Fiery Hell.


End file.
